As we approach the end of February we come to the end of Heart Month, a month when we have hit pause and taken stock of our heart health. With many conditions related to heart health, including angina, heart attack, heart failure, blood pressure and cholesterol, we want to make sure we do what we can to stack the odds in our favour of having a healthy heart. Risk factors for greater susceptibility to heart conditions include diabetes, obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, poor nutrition and poor lifestyle. Therefore great lifestyle changes include taking regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, reducing alcohol intake, stop smoking and getting a full nights sleep
Cold temperatures have an impact on our health. As we get older it becomes harder for our bodies to detect how cold we are, and it takes us longer to warm up which can be bad for our health. But the cold weather affects us all, young and old; it can have a negative impact on our immune system, our heart health (because the cold weather acts as a vasoconstrictor), our balance if it's icy or snowy, and also affects our skin causing it to be dry and in some cases badly cracked. Try these top tips for keeping warm and healthy during this cold snap: * Don't stay seated for more than an hour at a time - move around and make yourself a hot drink * Eat warming foods full of nutrients such as por
In January 2017 I arrived at hospital due to a blood pressure reading of 180/110. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. I was only 36. I was shocked, and despite there being a history of high blood pressure in my family I didn't think this was a health issue I would have to deal with so young. But having worked in the alternative health industry for over 10 years I knew there were many lifestyle changes I could make and supplements which I could try first before needing to medicate my blood pressure. So after chatting things through with my doctor, I began carefully considering the nutrient rich food I was eating (or wasn't eating as the case was!), the calories I was consuming, the
